


Mending the Reflection

by Bana_Bana



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: EXO CBX, Gen, Mentioned Kim Jongin | Kai, Mentioned Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Post-Apocalypse, Science Fiction, mamaau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-01-26 17:30:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21377851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bana_Bana/pseuds/Bana_Bana
Summary: Kyungsoo is at the end of his rope. All his friends are either gone or have become monsters that seek his capture. With only his wits and the power of Earth to aide him, Kyungsoo must adapt to this new, damaged world and find a way to save his remaining friends from the grasp of the Red Force that plagues their very being, but that's easier said than done when he, too, must battle his own demon along the way.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 9





	1. One

Darkness. That’s what surrounded Kyungsoo as he opened his eyes. The wet sensation that permeated his clothes immediately informed him that he was floating in a pool of liquid, presumably water. It was a disconcerting feeling for him; the lack of sensation, besides the moisture in his clothes, made Kyungsoo feel as though he were floating.

_ Where are the others? _

Kyungsoo twisted himself around until he was no longer floating on his backside and was, instead, somewhat upright as he swam in place. The sound of the water splashing gave no echo, indicating the space that surrounded Kyungsoo was vast, but that was quickly proven false when he moved forward and bumped his head on a wall of foam. The darkness now felt suffocating.

_ Something is missing. _

Kyungsoo immediately began surveying the surface of walls that surrounded him. As he investigated the perimeter, he figured the size of the room was no larger than about two or three meters in diameter. It wasn’t until his second lap around the interior that Kyungsoo noticed the slightest crevice vertically climbing a section of the wall. After tracing it as much as he could reach, he deducted that the crevice indicated the doorway that led in and out of this small, pod-like room. Although, to his dismay, there didn’t seem to be a handle on this side of the door. He attempted to force the door open by wedging his nails into the crevice and pulling before trying to push the door open, but it was of no use.

_ Where am I? _

Very subtly, Kyungsoo felt the slightest movement in the water that surrounded him. What bothered him the most was that it was not a result of his own actions. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut, encouraging him to lay back down and pretend to be asleep on the water’s surface.

Light flooded in as the door groaned open. Kyungsoo held his breath as he stilled in anticipation. The water that surrounded him began to feel cool, its temperature seemingly dropping at an exponential rate as it began to feel more solid beneath Kyungsoo. The air felt staticky.

Silence. It felt suffocating.

The static that surrounded Kyungsoo seemingly latched onto his very being, causing him to sit up with a jolt. He finally opened his eyes to be met under the gaze of Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Minseok. They each wore white jumpsuits, with their power’s symbol stitched over their left breast. Their expressions were eerily blank, and the red glow that seemingly shadowed their irises did nothing to reassure Kyungsoo. Before Kyungsoo could further study the trio, the static that had settled within Kyungsoo began to shift about inside him as it forced Kyungsoo to stand up. The jerky, involuntary actions created deep feelings of terror in him as he became a passenger in his own body. With him up, the trio before him began to back away from the doorway, allowing Kyungsoo to view the space beyond his chamber.

_ They are different. _

The room was plain in texture, being made up of only concrete. A single folding chair stood a few paces from Kyungsoo, who was forced out of the chamber with the help of the electricity that resided inside him. To his right, Kyungsoo took note of a door, which was being blocked by Jongdae. To his left, a folding table occupied the space behind Minseok; he noticed an intriguing-looking gun that held a thick syringe in place of the barrel. The syringe’s exterior was composed of stainless steel, hiding its contents. Finally, in front of Kyungsoo, Baekhyun stood with his arms crossed, a slight frown shadowing his lips.

Before Kyungsoo could utter a single note of questioning, his sight left him, and his body moved to sit in the folding chair. Strangely, despite his lack of vision, Kyungsoo was still able to hear and feel what was going on around him, indicating Baekhyun must’ve been preventing the light from reaching Kyungsoo’s eyes. It was only then did he notice how quickly he was breathing; panic shook about within the depths of his gut. The sound of footsteps and sliding of metal on plastic tore Kyungsoo’s attention away from his breathing and got him to focus on his surroundings. He felt what he assumed to be the tip of the syringe-gun hybrid be placed along his side where his hip and thigh met. Kyungsoo wanted to move away, but the formation of ice at his feet and back helped to keep him in place. The needle swiftly inserted itself into his skin and released a hot substance.

_ It’s back, but something is different. _

It all happened in an instant. Kyungsoo became acutely aware of the room’s surface. He realized the doorway he spotted earlier led nowhere as the room seemed to be buried deep underground. He could sense where Minseok, Jongdae, and Baekhyun were standing. Without hesitating, he allowed himself to be swallowed up by the ground beneath him. He quickly tunneled away from the room, climbing his way to the surface. His escape proved to be challenging as he could feel electricity run through him as an attempt to force his body to move back towards the room. Light flooded the space behind him as Kyungsoo used the rock, that surrounded him, to propel himself forward. The ice that still clung to his feet and back began to quickly spread on whatever surface it came in contact with, but Kyungsoo pressed on, desperate to flee - an almost primal fear fueling his resolve.

It felt like an eternity before Kyungsoo finally broke free from the Earth’s surface. He was immediately taken aback by the red sky that loomed above him. The blinding light that sprang out from Kyungsoo’s tunnel reminded him to keep moving. He broke into a sprint, zigzagging through numerous trees and bushes. Dark clouds gathered above as the chase continued; thunder rumbled with the promise of lightning. With the help of his power, Kyungsoo was able to quickly read over the layout of the forest that sprawled before him, allowing him to easily traverse. However, despite this advantage, the involuntary jolt in his movements reminded him of Jongdae’s ability as he fell to the ground. A quick glance back informed Kyungsoo that the trio was closing in on him. Afraid of what might happen if they got to him, Kyungsoo once again allowed the Earth to swallow him up; this time replacing the dirt and rock above him.

_ They have taken over. _

Deciding that tunneling would be the better mode of travel, Kyungsoo got to work and propelled himself away in search of a place to hide and rest. It wasn’t until he later found what felt like a highway that Kyungsoo resurfaced to figure out his location. He layed low and used a wave of earth to carry him amidst the shadows of the trees, which lined either side of the roadway. He soon spotted a sign above the speeding cars that indicated the path to a nearby city. Deciding it was his best bet for now, Kyungsoo buried himself once more and followed the highway to his destination; he occasionally resurfaced to check if he was following the right road.

As he neared the city, Kyungsoo found himself having to dodge various underground, urban structures, such as the numerous water lines that criss-crossed beneath the many buildings. By then, he hadn’t resurfaced in a while since it was clear he had already reached the city, but something was off as Kyungsoo soon realized that he couldn’t detect the movement of vehicles on any of the streets that sprawled above nor could he feel the buzz of people walking on sidewalks or within the building. Tentatively, he climbed his way closer to the surface; he entered what he assumed to be alley given the proximity of the buildings.

When he finally stood up, a sharp pain came from the side of his hip. Kyungsoo sat down alongside the brick exterior of one of the buildings and carefully examined himself. Now that he was taking the time to actually look at himself, Kyungsoo noticed he was wearing a pair of plain, gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He lowered the waistband of his pants to find an angry bruise forming around a small, thin needle. Carefully, he pulled the offending piece of metal from his skin. As it slid further out, a pale red fluid oozed out from the wound. Whatever this substance was, Kyungsoo didn’t think it was anything good considering it most likely came from the syringe earlier and began to press on the skin, hoping to squeeze out more of the mysterious fluid. After some attempts, Kyungsoo gave up as he seemed to be losing more blood than anything. To stop the bleeding from his wound, he tore a portion of one of his pant legs and tied it around his thigh.

With the help of the Earth below him, Kyungsoo rose from the ground slowly. His right leg protested in pain when Kyungsoo placed too much weight on it, so he used some of the rock below him to create a simple cane to aid in his movement. To cover his tracks, he smoothed over the flooring of the alley before cautiously approaching the street at the end. As he peered out from the corner of the brick building, Kyungsoo took note of the various empty shops and office buildings that lined this particular street. The only real indication of any human life previously occupying the space was the bits of litter that lazily tossed about in the soft wind. Seeing that no one was in sight, Kyungsoo began to walk over to the convenience store a few stores down, across the street. He found it odd that all of the lights were on in each building. After finding his way through the glass doors of the small store, Kyungsoo made a beeline to the small display case of pre-made deli sandwiches and salads that stood towards the back of the store by the coffee maker and soda dispenser. He didn’t realize just how hungry he felt until he finally sunk his teeth into a turkey club sandwich. A couple of sandwiches and two large water bottles later, Kyungsoo sank down onto the floor with a satisfied sigh. With his stomach full, he closed his eyes in bliss, allowing the soft buzz of the fluorescent lights to lull him to sleep.

Despite his peaceful state, his dreams did not show any mercy.

~ ~ ~

The hallways, they went on forever. Kyungsoo was getting tired trying to keep up with the others. Brilliant blasts of fire, ice, wind, water, lightning, and light could be seen up ahead; the once clean white walls of the hall were now unrecognizable in the aftermath of the group’s onslaught. He helped their escape by preventing any followers; with each step, the floor became a field of stalagmites and deep pits in his wake. His heart was racing as he fought to keep up. This whole facility was a maze to him, every turn and intersection gave way to more closed doors and, worse, more countless hallways. After crossing one of the many intersections these hallways had to offer, Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks to find Jongin on the floor with Yixing lying on his back.

“What’s wrong? Is Yixing okay?”

Jongin looked up, revealing an angry, red mark on Yixing’s shoulder.

“I thought he was okay! It seems they gave him another injection before we got to him. Kyungsoo! I don’t know what to do!”

The pained expression Jongin gave him was that of desperation as he frantically searched the other’s face for any sign of reassurance.

Before Kyungsoo could answer, the sound of footsteps approaching to his left caused him to look away in time to see a group of about six female droids nearing them. Also noticing the impending threat, Jongin straightened up, readying himself for an attack.

“Catch up with others, I’ll take care of them,” Kyungsoo spoke up, knowing they wouldn’t all make it out with Yixing being so vulnerable and Jongin being unable to use his power.

“Hyung-”

“I said GO, Jongin!” He steeled his expression to hide is concern from the other.

“Please Kyung-”

Kyungsoo gave him no chance to protest further as he shifted the floor to carry the two further along the groups’ path. He then sealed the hallway they exited through to prevent any stray droids from pursuing the duo. With his feet firmly planted apart, Kyungsoo raised a barrage of concrete from beneath the floor. By then, the droids had arrived at the intersection in which he stood at the center. He raised his fists and took a deep breath, ready to strike.

The droids themselves didn’t nearly look as menacing or deadly as Kyungsoo, but he knew better. They may have looked like human females in white dresses and red leggings, but behind their visors, their beady black eyes gave away the facade. He was already made painfully aware of their sharp nails and iron-like grasp as well as their agility with their movements. In this fight, being caught could be the end of it. With that in mind, Kyungsoo used the orbiting pieces of concrete to batter away at the heads of the droids to disable them, but that was easier said than done.

The robotic women began to form a ring around him to limit any means of escape; they circled him and dodged most of the flying bits of rock that zoomed past their heads. Kyungsoo needed to change tactics if he wanted to escape. If he wanted to land more hits he needed to stop or at least slow the movements of his attackers. With that in mind, he started to raise sections of the floor to capture the droids’ feet. Because he had to mentally ‘push’ and ‘pull’ so many pieces of Earth, a headache started to edge its way into existence. Kyungsoo sucked in a breath to keep his attention away from his head; he couldn’t afford the distraction as the droids were now closing in to avoid his attempts at capturing them. With them so close, Kyungsoo began to give way to panic; a few more feet in and he would be within arm’s reach of the droids. As a last resort, he raised his foot until his knee was bent at a right angle before swiftly and firmly planting his foot on the ground. Once his foot made contact with the ground, a shock wave traveled outward from his location, pushing his enemies away from him. The rocks that were once levitating at his command fell to the ground as he had had his power completely concentrated on that last attack. The shock wave continued to rumble further past the ring of droids and swiftly shattered the wall Kyungsoo had built to seal away his friends as well as the stalagmites that stood behind him.

With the wall down, Kyungsoo was able to spot Yixing crawling towards him, a look of horror etched onto his friend’s expression. Worry gripped him as he swiftly closed the distance between them. Yixing attempted to push Kyungsoo away when he was within arms reach, which only encouraged the other to want to hold him.

“W-We’re… too late,” Yixing whispered, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“Yixing, please, don’t say that,” Kyungsoo trembled, startled by the look of defeat in his friend’s eyes.

“We can still fix this! We can keep trying- don’t give up on me…”

He froze at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. Kyungsoo looked away from his friend to see Jongin with one hand in the air as if preparing to snap his fingers. He looked different. His eyes were nothing but orbs of white. His hair was now speckled with red dots over his jet black hair. His arms had red gashes where droids must’ve clawed at him. The new look sent chills down Kyungsoo’s spine, his breath caught in his throat.

“_ Oh Jongin… What have they done to you? _”

And with that, the world fell apart.

**Author's Note:**

Hello, if you've read this far, thank you! I've had this idea for a story in my head for some time, and I felt now would be a good time as any to share it with everyone on here. It's been so long since I last wrote anything, so I'm sorry for any typos or grammatical errors you may have come across. I'm a bit nervous about sharing my work online as I don't usually do this often, but I hope that by sharing with you all, I may be able to learn of new ways to improve my storytelling - so any feedback is welcome! Again, thank you for checking out my story! - Bana_Bana :^)


	2. Two

Kyungsoo jumped in fear, his frame shaking with guilt. He hugged himself as he tried to calm down, but it was to no avail as his breaths continued to come out ragged. Yixing’s teary-eyed expression was cemented in his mind’s eye, haunted by the gaze of Jongin’s white, soulless orbs. He rocked himself, willing his friends’ faces away from his thoughts.

_ I never should have left. _

His face felt wet. Kyungsoo rubbed at his eyes, realizing he had been crying. He shook his head as he continued to wipe his tears; somehow, he felt wrong for crying over his friends.

_ Crying will not bring them back. _

He shook his head and closed his eyes, willing himself to stop the tears from forming around his eyes. Kyungsoo knew his friends' unfortunate departure was all his fault.

_ I need to save the ones that are left. _

Now with a sense of purpose, Kyungsoo rose to his feet, but faltered when the wound on his thigh stung with the movement. He pulled his waistband down to see the bruise had developed angry, red tendrils that snaked outwards across his skin, wrapping itself around his thigh. His stomach churned at the sight. He almost threw up when he saw the veiny things _ twitch _. He grabbed his cane, which rested against a shelf stocked with chip bags in front of him, before walking through the aisles in search of first aid supplies. After collecting a bottle of disinfectant, some cloth dressings, and a small assortment of creams and ointments, Kyungsoo headed to the restroom in the back of the store.

Once inside the restroom, he began to remove the tied piece of cloth from his wound and then used some water to wash away some dirt that had collected there, possibly from his tunneling earlier. With the dirt rinsed off, Kyungsoo grabbed some paper towels and dried the area. He poured some of the liquid disinfectant on the bruise, hissing as it made contact with the point where the needle had penetrated his skin. While the disinfectant did its work, he started reading the labels of the various creams and ointments he had gathered. Most of them were mainly meant for treating fungal infections or burned skin. In the end, he settled for the small tube of hydro-cortisone cream, hoping it might be able to do something about the weird tendrils that sprawled beneath his skin. After generously apply the cream, Kyungsoo began to wrap the cloth dressings around his thigh, wanting to hide the disgusting, red strands from his sight.

Now that his wound had been attended to, Kyungsoo exited the restroom and walked behind the store’s counter to retrieve a plastic bag. He then walked through the aisles once more, collecting more first aid supplies, some bottles of water, and a couple cans of soup. Given the amount of items he gathered, Kyungsoo had to go back to the counter to retrieve more plastic bags to better carry the load of supplies. Finally, with three double bags dividing up his essentials, Kyungsoo exited the store in search of new clothes as the ones he currently wore were in bad shape. His outfit had a layer of dust and some tears varying in size as a result of traveling underground. He scanned the stores lining the street before settling on store a few doors down from him on his right.

As he walked down the sidewalk, he carried one of his three bags in his left hand and the other two tied to the top of his cane. He glanced up at the sky to see that it was covered up with dark gray clouds; it made him uneasy, reminding him of the thunder he had heard when he first reached the surface of the Earth. Litter tumbled and bounced on pavement as the wind carelessly blew. Kyungsoo shivered due to the poor condition of his clothing. He picked up his pace, wanting to be rid of the cold that grasped him through the wind.

Once inside the clothing store, Kyungsoo scanned the layout of the store, spotting the men’s section to his left in the back, past the checkout counter. He crossed the store, passing the Misses’ and shoe sections of the store. As he neared the racks of men’s clothing, he spotted a black, plain, long sleeved shirt; taking a liking to its simplicity, Kyungsoo decided to switch out his old shirt for the other. As he went through each rack of clothes, he found a warm denim jacket and a pair of jeans. While in the process of putting on the pair of pants, it finally occurred to Kyungsoo that he had been barefoot this entire time.

For a moment, he felt kind of sheepish, but as someone who had a natural connection to the ground beneath him, having something between his feet and the Earth was rather uncomfortable as it made it more difficult for Kyungsoo to sense others around him without the use of his sight or hearing and, to some extent, control the Earth. Given the situation he was in with the world seemingly coming to an end and his friends, if they were even there at all, chasing after him, Kyungsoo decided it’d be best to keep going without shoes. However, he would need to find a better way to carry his supplies as the plastic bags surely wouldn’t last long.

With that in mind, he began to explore the store further. Next to the men’s section was the shoe section, and in between the shoe section and Misses section, as you neared the front of the store, was the section for accessories. Within the accessories section, Kyungsoo found a shelf with all sorts of stylish bags, presumably for women, but he wasn't too picky about what demographic the items were targeted at. For all he cared, he simply hoped there’d be a bag large enough for his things, and to his luck, Kyungsoo found a brown, leather backpack that was a little over a foot and a quarter in height and roughly eight or nine inches in width. It was the largest backpack the store had to offer, so figuring it was the best he was going to get for now, Kyungsoo began to organize his items into the leather bag. Just as he had finished packing the bag, he sensed something odd blanket a portion of the street in front of the store he was in.

In a single motion, Kyungsoo put on the backpack and turned around in time to see Minseok, Jongdae, and Baekhyun walking over a patch of snow and ice towards the store. Now that he had a clear view of them, Kyungsoo took note of their new features that he didn’t get to study back in the underground room. Minseok had dark, navy blue hair that gradually transitioned into black towards the scalp. Jongdae, on the other hand, had a sort of red-orange hue added onto his black hair; the change in color became more apparent in the light. As for Baekhyun, his hair reminded Kyungsoo of a polar bear’s fur as it looked so pale. While looking over the trio, he couldn’t help but notice how sickly they looked. Their skin was pale, and their faces seemed thinner. Dark circles had started to form around their eyes.

"Key-ung-soo."

His name sounded foreign coming from Minseok's lips; it sent a chill down Kyungsoo's spine.

"Come here," rumbled Baekhyun.

The lights went out, or maybe it was just Baekhyun blinding him again. Kyungsoo sensed the ground around him begin to be covered in, what he assumed to be, ice. Before he could tunnel his way out, a sharp sting of electricity bit him from behind, causing Kyungsoo to jump in surprise. In the time he had lost touch with the ground, ice quickly spread beneath him. By the time Kyungsoo had realized what had happened, ice was already clinging onto his feet and climbing up his legs.

_ Idiot. I should've picked up my cane. _

With his contact with the ground severed, Kyungsoo had a hard time calling the Earth to his aid. This time, he had to focus on the ground that lay hidden beneath the thickening layer of ice; it was like grasping at leaves in the wind, within arm's reach but always eager to leave your grasp. Without his sight, Kyungsoo had to estimate where the patch of ground he wanted to manipulate was. He 'pulled' that piece of the ground toward him, hoping to regain contact with some portion of the Earth. It must have been a large piece of rock considering how much his head was beginning to hurt.

"Not-t so fast-t, K-ung-so," came Jongdae's stuttering voice.

From the sound of it, he must've been inches from Kyungsoo's ear. It worried him, being unable to detect how close the trio had gotten to him. He felt a spark of electricity attack his thigh, exactly where the needle had pricked his skin; the pain he felt shoot throughout his side was enough to have Kyungsoo reel back in pain, only to be caught in a coffin of ice. On his back and disoriented, he desperately searched his surroundings with his hands and feet. Besides a few tiny air holes above his face, there didn't seem to be any other openings in the case of ice.

He felt himself rise, presumably at Minseok's command, as his icy cell started to move. The feeling reminded him of his pod like chamber back in the underground room, trapped and disconnected. By now, his vision had returned, but it wasn’t of much use as the ice did not allow him to see much besides the distorted figures of the trio that surrounded him.Based on the color of their hair, he figured it was Minseok to his left with Jongdae at his right; Baekhyun had to be that one at his feet, leading the group, as his head looked the palest.

Wherever he was being taken, Kyungsoo knew it couldn’t be good; it was clear the Red Force was behind all of this. He recalled the facility with all those droids, that prison. Jongin’s face flashed in his head followed by Yixing’s, then Baekhyun’s, Jondae’s, and Mineseok’s. It made Kyungsoo shift in guilt. None of that would’ve happened if he had been stronger.

With his mind shrouded in fear and shame, the chaos of that day could finally overcome his thoughts.

~ ~ ~

Dust coated their clothes as Kyungsoo tunneled with Yixing precariously keeping pace on the uneven ground. The two had been tasked with finding and destroying the Red Force's latest project, "S.C.A.R." After spying on the facility's lab via Yixing's connection through a mouse, they quickly learned that SCAR is some sort of artificially engineered disease that causes its victims to "collapse before developing painful rashes and, eventually, giving way to paranoia." Unfortunately, their surveillance didn't last long as Yixing's link to the small mammal suddenly cut off. Without the mouse, Kyungsoo and friends needed to move quickly, so with the duo splintering from the group, the others created a ruckus as soon as they broke into the building’s entrance.

Thunderous vibrations could be felt as Kyungsoo tunneled through the ground and created an entrance of their own into the structure. Already having a sense of the building, Kyungsoo opened their passageway into a storage room, telling from how cramped the space was with shelves of various, unmarked containers. He dusted himself off before adjusting his shoulder bag between his shoulder blades while Yixing opened his backpack to take out a small jar with wet soil and some seeds. Yixing planted the seeds in the soil before placing his forefinger over the surface; immediately, vines began to sprout and fill up the remaining space within the container. In the time it took Yixing to place the jar in a side pocket of his backpack and comfortably situate the vines around his body, Kyungsoo had finished gathering a collection of rocks and dirt around him in a group of protective, orbiting rings with a single stone clasped in his fist.

After a brief once over of their newly developed arsenal, the pair cautiously exited the storage room, finding themselves in a large, office space with cubicles neatly organized in groups of fours. The place was shrouded in darkness, save for the soft glowing lights from the computers that accompanied each desk in the room. Using the dirt he had around him, Kyungsoo spread a thin layer of it around them on the ground and used it to navigate the room. They soon found another door on the opposite end of the room from the storage space. Using the dusty, thin blanket of dirt to inspect the other side, Kyungsoo verified the coast was clear. Once outside the office, they found themselves in a long winding hallway with doors regularly lining the walls.

Before Kyungsoo could press on, Yixing grabbed his shoulder before gesturing at a sign posted beside the door they had gone through. It read, “Training Room C463.” He frowned at the strange label for the room; telling from Yixing’s slightly squinted eyes and raised brow, he had the same thought. They both shook it off as they walked down the hall. Neither of them spoke as they traversed through the tangle of corridors, the silence keeping them on edge as Kyungsoo lead the way deeper into the facility.

Throughout the time the pair had spent wandering the hallways, Kyungsoo always had a grasp on the general floor plan of the area, but when they arrived at the midway point of a particular hallway, he found himself pausing in his tracks. Yixing tensed, expecting an attack at Kyungsoo's sudden stillness.

"What's wrong?" Yixing whispered as he scanned the hallway.

"I can't sense the layout beyond this point," Kyungsoo replied thoughtfully as he studied the space before him while just standing a foot shy of the threshold in which things became a blind spot for him.

"From what I can understand, the rest of this place beyond this hallway is one big box, but I can't get a feel for anything inside. It's all fuzzy to me," he continued at Yixing's lack of response.

He squatted down while Yixing stood guard. Cautiously, he inspected the line that indicated how far he could sense into the space. After grabbing a stone from one of the rings that orbited him, he began to scratch away at the flooring before just smashing the rock against the vinyl surface. Soon the cracks that had formed from the excessive force allowed Kyungsoo to peel away a few vinyl pieces off the ground, revealing the abrupt transition of concrete to metal. He couldn't help the frown that formed at the sight of the material; how he wished he had a better grasp at controlling and using metal.

As if sensing his regret, Yixing finally piped up, "Should I use a fungus to map out the rest of the way?"

"Yeah, we can't stop now after getting this far," Kyungsoo said with a nod as he stood back up, his face going blank.

Yixing, without looking, reached behind himself and pulled a small vial from one of the pockets of his backpack before removing the cap of the glass container. Using two fingers, he spread a sample of the fungus on the walls of the hallway, watching the pale green color of the fungus spread further on the surface; it looked as though someone furiously painted the color onto the hallway. Within a few minutes, the pale green streaks of color had already reached the end of the hallway and continued down both ways of the 'T' intersection at the end.

When they were about to turn the corner on the right, they jumped in surprise as the hallway they had gone through was abruptly cut off by a wall of steel. As a reflex, the pair stood back to back. Kyungsoo had the rings of rock and dirt reform into spiraling spheres that floated above his opened right hand while Yixing's vines raised like defensive tentacles. Without the sound of their footsteps, everything became silent, save for their quiet breathing. It was in this muted setting that they could hear the repetitive thumping of footsteps.

Down the hallway they were about to go through, Kyungsoo saw a sleek metallic figure on all fours barreling towards them. Seeing the imminent danger, instinctively he attempted to raise a wall of Earth, but to his chagrin, he found the pull of the rock below fail to break through the thick layer of metal that surrounded this section of the facility. Before Kyungsoo could make another move, he felt Yixing place a thick cloth over his mouth and nose while simultaneously placing his free hand on a section of the fungus that painted the walls of the hallway. Kyungsoo watched as bulbous growths swelled from the wall; they looked like flower buds with sharp thorns crowning the base. By now the charging beast was about ten feet in front of the pair. The buds burst open, releasing a spray of yellow mist. Kyungsoo watched as the beast’s run slowed to a stop as a thick gelatinous fluid oozed from between its joints and stick together in lazy clumps around its clawed paws. Yixing pulled away from Kyungsoo, who promptly wiped off some stray bits of gelatin from himself. Copying Yixing’s actions, Kyungsoo found that they hardly got hit with the spray of mist. He silently thanked his friend for covering his face after looking over the robot a second time, shivering at the thought of suffocating on clumps of gelatin.

“Clearly, they know we’re here,” Yixing spoke up, breaking the silence, “we need to keep moving.”

Kyungsoo moved to follow his friend’s lead, internally kicking himself for not being more useful in fending off the beast. They picked up their pace as they traversed through the labyrinth-like layout of the building. He focused on trailing his friend as his thoughts began to slip away, replaying the encounter with the metallic beast -except this time, how Kyungsoo could’ve overwhelmed and subdued the beast. The more he busied his mind with all those ‘what if’ scenarios, the more frustrated he found himself.

His thoughts were interrupted when Yixing’s vines abruptly yanked him against his friend’s chest, a sleek dark zipped past his face shortly after. His eyes widened as he quickly observed his surroundings. He found that the source of the dart was a stout, bipedal robot with a spherical torso that held a large red eye in the center of its chest; two tubes rested on either side of its eye, each aimed on either of the guys. It stood directly to the left of the pair while two identical-looking droids approached from behind them. They were cornered as the only means of escape had at least one robot blocking the path.

Focusing on the droid that had attempted to fire at him, Kyungsoo began to shoot stones at the tubes of the bot, quickly learning that that was the source of the darts. Meanwhile, Yixing used his vines to grasp at the legs of the other two robots; however, he soon learned that the darts held a poison that caused his vines to go limp. Before he could modify his plants, Kyungsoo pulled Yixing behind him, narrowly avoiding two darts that flew past them. To buy some times, Kyungsoo raised his cloud of dirt and rock and formed it into a curtain of flying pieces that furiously walled off the nearing robots. Worried for his friend, Kyungsoo checked Yixing for any stray darts on his person, only to find that many of his vines had gone limp under the effects of the dart’s poison save for a few sparse strands. The sight made him worry, aware that Yixing, in a sense, has to share his life force to influence the foliage’s growth and biology. He scanned his friend over, noticing how much Yixing is sweating and his slow breathing.

“Let go of them,” Kyungsoo said with concern as his raised Yixing’s chin, “It won’t do anyone good if you get sick now, hyung.”

Yixing heaved a sigh. “I can handle it; let me help.”

“Stop it,” Kyungsoo replied firmly, straightening himself out before giving Yixing a single firm shake in protest, “Release the plants, allow yourself to rest. I can take them, don’t worry about me.”

Before Yixing could give a note of refusal, the sickly vines began to curl in on themselves while taking on a yellow hue. In the process of their movement, they brushed against the duo and immediately began to wrap themselves further around the pair. Losing his balance due to the sheer number of twisting tendrils around his legs, Kyungsoo fell over, briefly losing his focus on the cloud of rock and dirt which allowed the bots to close in on them. Seizing the opportunity, the droids wasted no time to fire off a dart on both of their targets.

Kyungsoo’s vision darkened as the cold grasp of sleep pulled him under, the image of Yixing’s cold, shivering frame fading from his sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, time flew! I feel bad for taking two weeks to update... I found myself rewriting this chapter a couple times because I wasn't satisfied with the flashback the first couple of iterations; they felt like they rambled more rather than establish the universe some more. -But hey, I finally figured out how to convey the information I was trying to build in. :^) So far, with just these first two chapters, I've had a lot of fun, so I'm excited about writing the more action-y parts of the story that lie ahead! So please stay tuned~
> 
> Also, I feel kinda sheepish for just now noticing this option to add chapter notes instead of directly typing my author's note into the chapter. Live and learn, right? ;^)
> 
> \- Bana_Bana


	3. Three

He awoke with a groan, slowly peeling his eyes open under the harsh fluorescent light that flooded the room. After blinking a couple of times, his eyes finally adjusted, allowing him to take note of the stiff bed he was lying in as well as the sink and toilet that occupied the corner in front of him to the right of the heavy, steel door. Soon after his observations, the door to his room opened with a click, startling Kyungsoo.

“So you’re the pesky groundhog that was running amuck through the East Wing?” came a teasing, feminine voice.

He was somewhat amazed by how quickly the woman crossed the room with so few steps. She towered over him at his bedside, who made a feeble attempt at getting away.

“Now, now, behave,” her firm voice purred as she reached for Kyungsoo, “Come here.”

He struggled under her grasp, unsettled by how unmoving her cold hands were. She repositioned herself with Kyungsoo’s hands pinned above his head in one hand while the other used the crumpled, grey blanket at the end of the bed to bind his kicking legs. Within seconds, he was hopelessly pinned.

She cooed before saying, “Don’t fret little groundhog, this here,” she held up a syringe with an innocent-looking clear fluid, “will make you feel more... agreeable.”

The lump in his throat prevented him from uttering a note of protest, his mouth agape in a silent gasp. He watched from the corner of his eye as she injected the needle into his left tricep. His mind began to feel foggy as she finished applying a bandage to the site of the injection. As he slowly blinked, his body visibly sagged.

_ Why was I so nervous again? _

She released her hold on his hands before undoing the brakes on the wheels of the bed. After propping the door open, she began to push the bed out into the hallway where other identical-looking beings in white dresses and red leggings awaited. Together, they escorted Kyungsoo.

_ Wow, she has a lot of sisters. _

His chest bubbled with giggles at the thought and continued to do so as he found himself strapped down in a room filled with blinking panels and buzzing computers with robotic arms hovering above him. A manic smile stretched his puffy lips as one of the arms took copies of his fingerprints. He eventually found himself stark naked as another arm did a full body scan of his figure with a red scanner.

_ What’s with all these flashy lights? _

He squirmed as if the red light were tickling him. During the movement, he took notice of the third arm that hung from the ceiling. It held a glass vial that contained a thick, yellow fluid; it had the consistency of syrup. His smile faltered, and his giggles began to die down.

_ Yellow? Why is that important? _

By then, the light no longer felt ticklish on his skin.

“Something the matter, Kyungsoo?” came a distant, disembodied collection of voices, all speaking in sync.

_ Yellow… _

_ I didn’t want to have gelatin... _

_ It was all over the floor. _

“What’s got you all worked up now?” they said in mock concern, annoyance peeking through their words.

_ The yellow vines tripped me. _

_ I failed to protect Yi- _

"Where’s Yixing?" His tongue felt funny in his mouth but still held a taste of urgency at the mention of his friend's name.

"Ah, missing the others?" They sounded cold like metal, hollow and echoey.

"I will fix that." The threat distinct by the voices' articulation.

His mind still felt shrouded under the drug's effects, so he didn't immediately register the imminent danger of the arms' array of tools sprouting from its fingertips. Yixing's name echoed in his clouded head like light seeping through a thick fog as he sluggishly attempted to recall why his friend's location was so important. By reflex, he tried to use his sense of the Earth to locate the familiar figure of his friend but failed to do so without a direct connection to the ground. Too preoccupied by his jumbled thoughts about Yixing, Kyungsoo never noticed the cool sensation of fluids lazily dripping down the sides of his head.

_ Yixing, where did you go? _

The shrill whine of a saw made Kyungsoo rip his eyes open, who didn't realize when and how tightly he had shut them nor did he notice the clenching of his jaw. Something was digging at the top of his head, encouraging him to shift away.

"Stay still." They said sharp as a knife as one of the arms placed its heavy hand around Kyungsoo's throat.

"Ngh…” He gasped as his head seemingly became a pile of mush.

His vision was unfocused as the world seemed to spin around him. In the corner of his thoughts, he registered the feeling of what felt like tiny needles worming their way into the space behind his eyes. It made him want to claw at his eyes, a deep feeling of discomfort settling within him as he slowly began to sober up despite the drugs’ effects. He was reminded of the straps at his hands and feet when attempting to move.

“Eeeuuungggghhhh… mmmhh…” He uttered, his mouth shifting by its own accord.

Without meaning to, his eyes twitched while his knees jerked. The uncontrolled actions aided in allowing Kyungsoo’s rising fear to chase away the dampening effects of the drug in his system. He didn’t know what was going on. The world around him appeared unfamiliar to him, and his body felt foreign with the way it moved uncontrollably and was processing an array of phantom textures against his skin. His emotions were starting to slip from his control; he felt nervous- No angry!- A crushing weight of despair weighed on his heart now but quickly gave way to unhinged joy before turning into a befuddling, pulsating mess of emotions that seemed to stick for roughly half a minute before twisting into something else entirely.

He blacked out.

~ ~ ~

Ice shards littered the surrounding area. A thick, swirling storm of pavement twisted itself around Kyungsoo, who was currently gasping for breath. A cloud of dust in the surrounding area told him that Minseok was sprawled on the ground to his left while Jongdae was on his side to his right; Baekhyun was face first over a toppled shelf in the window display of the store in front of Kyungsoo. His head was currently pounding, which made it a chore to stand up. He rubbed at his temple as he raised his head before stiffening in surprise.

In front of him, a few inches shy of the angry storm that protected him stood… himself. Everything about him was identical save for his angry, bloodshot eyes. His look-alike gave him a disgusted look before disappearing into the haze of flying dust and rock.

Bits of pavement were sinking back onto the ground as Kyungsoo stood in shock and confusion. His stupor didn’t last for very long as the throbbing in his head demanded attention. He let go of more pieces of rock to minimize the severity of his headache. His storm of pavement eventually whittled down to the form of a skinny serpent that spiraled around Kyungsoo’s form in midair; its rocky scales shaped themselves into arrowheads, ready to shoot outward at a moment’s notice.

Movement to his right caught Kyungsoo’s attention. Jongdae was on his feet with electricity bubbling over the surface of his exposed hands; he raised two fingers on either hand, allowing the current of energy to jump to either hand and back. The static feeling in the air around his feet was the only warning Kyungsoo received before a bolt of lightning was buzzing his way. Not wanting to fall for the same trick twice, he used the pavement below him to carry him out of harm’s way. He had to repeat this process repeatedly as Jongdae continued to fire multiple bolts of lightning at Kyungsoo.

In the past, Kyungsoo and his friends have all sparred against each other at least a couple of times, so he knew Jongdae’s aggressive attacks wouldn’t last forever. See, when Jongdae isn’t in contact with a constant source of electricity, he was still capable of using his power so long as he ‘created’ the electric energy himself. Now, Jongdae didn’t necessarily make the electricity out of nothing, more like he transformed nearby forms of energy into the more desired form of electricity. However, by having to go through the process of changing the energy itself, the action often wore out Jongdae much more readily than guiding an already existing current of electricity. With that in mind, if he continued to resort to making the electric energy himself, Jongdae was bound to reach exhaustion sooner rather than later.

The air was foul with the acrid scent of burnt pavement. Waves of rock kept Kyungsoo narrowly out of the way of each passing bolt of energy. He circled Jongdae, looking for an opening to fire one of his arrowheads. After a few laps, Kyungsoo felt this was dangerously dragging for too long as Minseok and Baekhyun were bound to get up and join in the fight. To speed things up and get at Jongdae, Kyungsoo used the wave of pavement to vault himself over Jongdae, who was surprised and too slow to look up in time. He shot three arrowheads in the few seconds of airtime he had and didn’t have to look up to know that the rocks had grazed Jongdae’s cheek, missed his arm, and tore at the fabric of the jumpsuit around the left side of Jongdae’s abdomen, respectively.

His attack seemed to really set Jongdae off if his angled eyebrows and gritted teeth were any indication. The space around them felt prickly with energy. As Kyungsoo continued to circle Jongdae, he had to abruptly stop when a bolt of lightning arched its way into his path. The ground vibrated with the impact as it took on a black color amidst the surrounding grey of the road. Now that he was momentarily still, Jongdae seized the chance to fire another javelin of energy at Kyungsoo, who only had a mere eighth of a second to react. He ducked, only to lose his balance on a sheet of ice that had formed beneath him. His serpent of stone fell from its wrapped position around him. Not wanting to be recaptured, he grabbed at one of the falling rocks before him and held it in a deathly grip, determined not to lose.

Minseok stood with hunched shoulders as he popped his neck, giving Kyungsoo a sharp, cat-like glare. He could practically see the figuratively swishing tail behind the frost wielder. As he quickly climbed to his feet, Kyungsoo was careful to keep all three of the powered individuals in his line of sight. In his fight with Jongdae, he had repositioned himself further from the trio, standing further along the road. His breathing was harsh and rapid, allowing for him to notice how he could now _ see _ his breath which was not a good sign whatsoever.

Amongst their group of nine, only two of them had developed additional powers beyond the manipulation of their element; those two were Minseok and Jongin. From what Kyungsoo knew, the pair had been left alone in the practice room for a couple of hours, sparring for fun, and when everyone had returned, Jongin revealed the he learned he could ‘see the multiverse’ (as he jokingly put it) while Minseok learned he could suppress heat energy within a certain radius. Before, Kyungsoo would’ve been in awe to see Minseok’s display of power, but now? He was terrified.

With his eyes still trained on them, Kyungsoo used the wave of pavement to swiftly carry him further away, zig-zagging his path to avoid bolts of lightning and ice spikes sprouting from, presumably, water lines beneath the road. He nearly choked on his breath when he felt someone wrap their arms around his throat and waist.

“Forget about me?” Baekhyun hissed into his ear, the grin evident in his smug tone.

_ When did he get there? _

_ Did he move while I was fighting Jongdae? _

_ … When did I become this pitiful…? _

“Gonna give up so soon? Oh come on, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun chirped in mock disappointment, “Don’t be greedy and let Jongdae have all the excitement! I’m way more fun than him!”

And with that, Baekhyun relinquished his hold on him before pushing Kyungsoo off the lifted segment of pavement. While Kyungsoo found his footing after the unexpected shove, Baekhyun gracefully skipped off the platform before landing with a satisfied grin.

"C'mon Rock Boy," he jeered, "show me what you got!"

The pavement rumbled to life around Kyungsoo, resembling ripples around a stone in water.

_ I could just run. Couldn't I? _

Baekhyun jumped into action, firing a colorful array of concentrated light at him.

_ It'd be easy to just tunnel away again. _

The ground shifted around, opening like fish lips beneath the nimble feet of his opponent, who kept slipping out of reach.

_ ... But what about them? _

Intensely bright orbs of light, about the size of a baseball, formed in the palms of Baekhyun's upturned hands, forcing Kyungsoo to look away and shut his eyes if he wanted to keep his vision.

_ I told myself I'd save them. _

Pavement wrapped itself around Kyungsoo in a protective armor while strips of stone shot through the air, wrapping themselves around Baekhyun’s form. Kyungsoo never ceased his fire as he weaved around lasers and colorful blasts of light. The bands of stone were beginning to add up, causing Baekhyun to hunch under the weight. He looked like funny-looking pale gorilla with the way he was crouching, the bands of stone clinging on his wrists and ankles haphazardly.

_ After all… _

Before Kyungsoo could approach Baekhyun in his compromising position, with the way he couldn’t really move, Minseok and Jongdae were already going on the defensive. The ice spikes from earlier melded together, forming a platform that resembled a tailless stingray with the pair riding atop its back. Particles off the ray’s back floated into the air like a fine mist. As more and more particles gathered in the air, it became apparent that Minseok was forming an actual cloud. Kyungsoo had seen the duo use this technique before, creating a mini storm cloud, but his lack of knowledge in meteorology did not permit him to understand how and why it worked. By now the cloud was now the size of a small car, hanging ominously above the street. Lightning briefly webbed through the cloud, which gave its own rumbles of thunder like its larger counterparts.

The icy ray split in half. Jongdae came barreling towards Kyungsoo, a small storm cloud of his own resting in his right palm. Lightning zapped at the distance between Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, discouraging any attempts of attack at the vulnerable individual. While Jongdae kept Kyungsoo busy, Minseok used sharp blades of ice to hack away at the heavy braces of stone around Baekhyun. In a brief moment of respite, Kyungsoo took in the view of grim-looking Jongdae firmly planting himself between him and the others while Minseok diligently examined an annoyed Baekhyun’s wrists and ankles.

Within those short couple of seconds, Kyungsoo could recognize his friends from before. He saw the Jongdae who could subdue an argument with his level-headedness and passion. He saw the Minseok who always looked after his dongsaengs and uplifted them. He saw the Baekhyun who sometimes got in-over his head with his shenanigans as well as the capable listener that could summon a comfortable atmosphere when needed. It was enough to bring a pang of yearning and hurt within his chest as he had to face the transition back to reality with his friends now strangers once more.

_ … they never gave up on me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. This update took even longer than the last one... :^(
> 
> I told myself I'd stick to a biweekly update schedule the same week I know I'd be focused on the holidays. (*'-'*) Ah! -But don't get me wrong, writing this is no burden! It's been a real learning experience since I keep researching new things like the properties of ice and light as well as how lightning is formed. Did you know that a bunch of tiny ice crystals are what aid in the formation of lightning in clouds? They sort of bounce off each other, creating static electricity that somehow influences the difference in charge between the ground and the clouds. It was pretty fascinating! c:
> 
> Anyways, I'll try to write more diligently and get the next update out on time! ( ` v`)/~
> 
> \- Bana_Bana
> 
> P.S. I'm thinking of changing the title. I don't think it'll fit anymore with the way I'm planning things. ;^)


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